Their Promise
by Pencilfreak17
Summary: Valentine's Day Special: Temari left Shikamaru six to seven years ago to return to Suna, making Shikamaru promise to her that he'd wait for her to come back. What happens when he can't wait any longer and this other girl comes up? Will he remain faithful to Temari or move on without her? (Rated T for cursing.)


**Okay, one thing I need to make clear; I don't know anything about college life because I'm still in middle school so forgive me if this 'college life' I tried to portray in this story is inaccurate in some parts. T^T I really am. I wish I can look more into it so I can make it more believable, but unfortunately I only have so much time on my hands. **

**I hope you like it though. Sorry it came out late, I was working on the other Valentine's Day Specials and I wanted to wait and post them all at the same time (I finished this one first) so that you could have a selection to choose from. I made stories from my own ideas, but on pairings that the poll results yielded. I only put this one out today because I didn't have time to finish the others, but I'll finish those and put them out by tomorrow or on Sunday for the heck of it because I know there was at least one person wanting those other pairings. (Guaranteed NaruHina coming.) Anyway, to my fellow ShikaTema fans, I hope this doesn't make you sad or anything because I will warn you; it's a bit depressing. A little. Let me stop rambling now...**

* * *

**_THEIR PROMISE:_**

_The last time he saw her was in middle school. She held his hand and brushed his nose with hers, sighing a sigh that could last a century. _

"_Shikamaru … I'll see you again. I swear, I will. But please… with all my heart, with all my soul, I ask you wait for me."_

_She leaned her forehead against his and looked into his eyes – his soul._

"_I ask you to never look at another girl the way you look at me. I ask you to trust in me that I'll come back to you … do you promise Shikamaru?"  
He couldn't stand it. The bottled up feelings welled out as despair crossed his face. He grabbed her face and kissed her, relishing the softness of her lips as she momentarily gave him the time to kiss her softly, then she pulled back asking with renewed firmness to her voice, "Do you promise?"  
"I promise … I promise, I promise, I promise."_

_She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for another, heart tearing kiss. The last kiss he tasted before she pulled away, shrugged her bag on her shoulder, and walked away. He watched her get on the train, hand the man her ticket and sit by an open window. She smiled through the window at him and waved, mouthing words that Shikamaru knew said, _I love you._ He sadly smiled back, waving back at her as she was taken away by the train, down the tracks in a scream of steam. He kept waving after she had long gone. He dropped his hand to his lips; he could still feel the soft kiss, the warmth of her breath, her gentle hands on his neck. He could still feel her here. He closed his eyes murmuring to himself, "I promise … and I'll be waiting."_

* * *

That had been years ago. When his girlfriend, Temari, left for Suna - her home country - he was left at Konoha waiting for her ever so patiently. Now years had passed, he was a college bound student now about to graduate and move off into the world as an independent young man, new doorways open to him as a fresh beginning to the climaxing stage of his life. He had always faced a difficult dilemma each and every year since his girlfriend left; somehow, every year, a certain girl would always have fallen desperately in love with him and would fight with blood and tears for his affections. But each and every time, he would have to coldly reject them and was always and constantly reminded of the girl who had left him. But he knew deep in his heart, if he waited long enough, by her promise, she'd come back. He knew. He hoped, but now, he doubted. He doubted to such an extent, he wondered if she even remembered him. Was perhaps the relationship he had with her in his younger years … now part of a childish past? He didn't want to believe that; she promised, and he had clung on to that little hope with all his heart, rejecting every single girl that had laid eyes upon him, keeping his side of that promise. Now it was her turn. So why didn't she come back?

Shikamaru sighed as he leaned back in his chair, putting down his pen as he took off his reading glasses rubbing his burning eyes. He was sick of it all. Waiting for a girl he was now not certain would ever return, living a life of neglected love; his life seemed less and less appealing to him now. That was when someone knocked the tower of books on his table to fall over, he curse profanely in the library, loud enough for the other college students to look up at him with raised eyebrows.

"F*cking h*ll…!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"  
Shikamaru growled as he bent down on the ground to retrieve his books.  
"It's fine, I suppose it's my fault for taking so many books in the first place."

He saw a delicate hand reach down and pluck a book off the ground; he dared his eyes to travel higher as he took in a sharp breath – a girl. A girl with beautiful teal eyes.

She smiled after reading the title of the book.

"Ah, you like this author too? I'm a huge fan of his books you know."  
_Oh my God … her eyes, they're so much like her …_

He was lost for words, transfixed by her eyes he gawked like a fish for a moment. She cocked her head at him with a laugh playing behind smiled lips. God, she looked so different, but she had the same eyes … was she … could she …?

"Hello? Sir? Um, people are staring."

He blinked back to reality and looked around; sure enough, the other students stared at the two with raised eyebrows. Others were smiling and giggling at them. The librarian behind her desk glared at him from over her glasses for disturbing the library.

He flustered and snatched the book that she held out to him as he gathered the books in his arms and muttered, "Thank you …"

She smiled and laughed.

"You're welcome."

He flinched at the ring in her laugh, she was unbearably beautiful … _no_! He mentally slapped himself. _Don't let the hormones get to you Nara! Pull yourself together! You promised Temari!_

"Well then, good bye sir!"

She stood to leave and Shikamaru instantly stood, dropped the books on his desk and grabbed her wrist before she walked away. She looked over her shoulder at him in surprise as he tightened his grip on her wrist, "E-Excuse me but … have we met?"  
Something unnoticeable flickered behind the sea of teal and she simply gave him a confused smile.  
"Um … I don't believe so. I've never met such an amusing person in my life."

He sighed, releasing her wrist as he numbly replied, "Oh … oh I see. I'm sorry, my mistake."  
She turned back around and held her elbows before looking at him with curiosity.

"Who did you think I was?"  
"…someone I … I …"

He shook his head, sighing.

"Someone I had hoped finally returned to me. My sincerest apologies for disturbing you…"

She blinked at his words and laughed lightly behind curled fingers.

"Oh my, you have a lover?"

He eyed her with a sour edge to his voice as he retorted, "Why, is it that hard to believe?"  
She shook her head, still giggling as she smiled at him fondly, "No, no it's not that. I was just thinking how lucky that person must be to have such an extraordinary person like you. Mannerly, handsome; and judging by how you mistakened me for her, you must be those few rare people who have been waiting for quite some time … has she left you for long?"  
He stared at her in surprise. It almost scared him how easily she could read him; was he that obvious?  
"She … she left for as long as about six or seven years by now …"  
She gave him a sympathetic smile.  
"Ah, I see. That is quite a shame. Such lost time that could've been well spent on developing a stronger relationship with her. You must miss her."  
He sighed, unconsciously lifting a hand to his chest, over his heart, where he gripped his shirt in his hand like it was bleeding.

"Undoubtfully, yes, yes I do… "

She patted him lightly on the back.

"Well, I hope she comes back to you soon."  
He nodded glumly, not sure why he was talking to this stranger in the first place.  
"You have no idea …"

She opened her mouth to say something when the librarian appeared at their side clearing her throat.

"Excuse me, but this is a library. If you're not here for a book or for your studies, I'll have to politely ask you to leave and stop making a scene in my library."

The college students rippled in dim laughter around them, bringing a blush of shame on his face as Shikamaru apologized to the librarian, "My apologies-"  
"No, it's my fault for disturbing the library. If I had been more careful, I wouldn't have knocked over his books and disturbed him and everyone else from their studies. I apologize for it all ma'am. For that, I'll respectfully leave."  
She smiled a sad charming smile to the librarian, making the woman blink and regretfully smile back, "Oh … well dear, it's alright. I just don't want the students here falling behind in their work so I …"  
"No ma'am, you did what you were supposed to do. With me disturbing the library does affect everyone and I wouldn't want you to feel responsible for my actions. I apologize for that. I'll leave then ma'am."  
She turned to look at Shikamaru and smiled; raising a dainty hand beside her cocked head as she sweetly gave Shikamaru a charming wink and waved in a cutesy manner.

"Well then, farewell to you!"

He choked on his own air as she walked away with her bag tightly clasped to her side, the librarian watching her leave with a twinge of regret for sending off the mannerly young lady so rudely. She turned to Shikamaru and sighed, "Well then, either you're going to continue studying or you're leaving."

She marched away and Shikamaru stood there stunned. He gasped as he muttered to himself, "Sh*t … I didn't ask for her name …"

* * *

"…I swear Choji, she had the same f*cking eyes …"

Choji raised his eyebrows as he watched Shikamaru pace the dorm, stuffing his face with chips as he burped loudly.

"Eesh, you sure man? Come on, how many girls have you met that have the same color eyes-"  
Shikamaru glared at Choji as he stressed his words, "No, no, her eyes, she was different! I swear she has the very same eyes as her!"

Choji sighed, putting aside his chips he leaned across the table patting on the surface before commanding, "Shikamaru… sit down for a moment will yah?"

Shikamaru sighed and heavily collapsed on his knees before the table and Choji offered his snack to him. He politely declined and Choji began speaking to him, "Shikamaru …. I think it's time you moved on."

He blinked up at him in surprise and frowned.

"Move … on?"  
Choji nodded, snapping a chip in half as he ate the pieces separately in his hand.

"Yes. Move on."

"But how … why?"  
Choji gave Shikamaru a look of genuine worry as he reached over the table to grip his friend by the shoulder.

"Listen, Shikamaru. I've been your best friend for years since we were little toddlers together. I know everything that happened in your life and especially your relationship with Temari. You two were like the earth and sky; inseparable. But after she left, you've been a wreck. You ignored Ino and the other girls, you coldly broke down every girl who has ever confessed to you, and you've always clung to this mustard seed of hope that Temari will come back. But let's face it man …"  
Shikamaru dreaded his next words as Choji squeezed his shoulder and sympathetically shook his head, "…She isn't coming back."

Shikamaru dug his fingers in his knees and looked down at his white knuckles. _No … no …. Please God no … _

"I think it's time you gave up on her. Seriously, waiting for six to seven years? Who the hell would do that to their partner? If she really loved you, she would've let you go. If she ever did come back, she would have to have simply hoped that you hadn't forgotten about her. But for her to make you promise to her and live a life of lost love?"  
Choji shook his head again, sighing.

"If you open your eyes and look at it truthfully Shikamaru, she's hurt you more now than she has six to seven years ago leaving for Suna. Look at yourself now Shikamaru; mistaking every single girl you've met for her, freaking out, having these ridiculous therapy moments with me. Please don't do this to yourself and move on; find someone else that'll for sure, stay with you without leaving your side. You'll be surprised at how much happier you can be."

He patted his friend on the shoulder and sighed, standing up he wiped the crumbs off his legs and walked into the bathroom to wash up for bed. Shikamaru numbly stayed on his knees staring at the table in internal turmoil.

"_No … but I love her … I love her … how can I just … let go now and move on when I haven't even … met her again? How can I turn my back on her without her knowing … to move on … and what if she suddenly comes back and sees me with another girl? She'd think I'm a complete jerk. Imagine how much she'd be in pain to see that. No … Choji, I can't bear to move on. I just can't … somehow, I can't …"_

Shikamaru hung his head, wanting to cry but unable to; his tears were spent to their limits years ago; nothing remained inside him left to cry out.

* * *

He ate his lunch like a ghost; his friends staring at him like he just died and rose back to the living – a walking zombie. Kiba nervously laughed, trying to make light of the dreary mood as he joked, "Damn … what killed you and brought you back to life man? You look like sh*t …"

Shikamaru dropped his spoon and collapsed back against his chair sighing, his hand going to his face as he pinched his eyes, taking a ragged breath as he sighed, "Please Kiba … not now."

Naruto glanced at his friends and back at Shikamaru before asking after chewing his food, "Dude, seriously though, what's eating you?"  
Choji locked eyes with Shikamaru but he broke it soon after, not wanting to look at Choji in the eye, knowing all too well what he had told him to do. But he just couldn't, and now Choji's words haunted him throughout the night and still encircled him this morning.

"…_I think it's time for you to move on ….If she really loved you, she would've let you go ….she isn't coming back."_

"…Hey … hey!"  
Naruto sighed, rolled his eyes before standing up sharply planting his hands on the table in a loud bang, leaning over to yell loudly, "**HEY!**"

Shikamaru started with a jolt and looked up at Naruto, half people around them looking up to stare at them as Naruto stood there staring at Shikamaru incredulously.

"Sh*t man …"  
"What? Why are you looking at me like that-"  
"You're falling apart man. You're losing it."

"No I'm not, I'm just tired alright-"  
"Admit it man; it's about her right?"

Naruto crossed his arms and glared at him.  
"Dude, this is exactly why you should've let her go years ago! Look at what she's doing to you?! She's tearing you apart from the inside out!"

He growled as he glared back at Naruto, "Mind your own business Uzumaki-"  
"F*ck that sh*t Nara! You think this has nothing to do with us? You're our friend; if you wanna drown yourself in your own misery, I'm sure as hell not going to let you!"

He pointed accusingly at him and hissed, "Either shape up now and save your ass from a life of regret, or get ready to live miserably; because if you don't, I'm going to beat you up so bad you're gonna look twice as worse than you are now-"  
A hand shot out and grabbed Naruto's wrist, the blond boy turning his head raging at the person who grabbed him.

"What the hell?!"

"Lay off Shikamaru, Naruto. This is something he needs to deal on his own."  
Sasuke eyed Naruto with a firm gaze before forcing his friend to pin his arm back to his side. He continued to hold Naruto's gaze before he broke the eye contact and tsked sitting down in his chair heavily.

"F*ck it …"

"Just forget about it Naruto. If Shikamaru wants to cling onto his long lost girlfriend like a lost puppy, let him do so."  
He lifted his eyes to Shikamaru and added with a mutter, "It'll only prove how weak hearted he is. Let him learn from his own mistakes."

Shikamaru stared at Sasuke in disbelief and a twinge of outrage; he was insulting him! They couldn't understand. Why?! They didn't have the relationship he had with Temari; the promise he made, the hope he put in that all his life, he didn't need to hear them yapping in his ears about healthy relationships, he didn't need to hear anything!

He abruptly stood and glared at Sasuke before hissing profanely, "Go f*ck yourself."

Sasuke blinked at him in mild surprise as Naruto jumped up to glare at Shikamaru.

"Dude, not cool-!"

Shikamaru turned a bitter heel and stalked away, leaving his friends dumbstruck as Choji simply sighed, shaking his head miserably nibbling his food as he moaned, "He's gone … the Shikamaru we knew … he's gone …"

* * *

Damn. It was cold. He should've taken a jacket when he went to lunch, now he stood outside of the building miserably in the chilly evening. He stalked the college grounds simply seeking a little time to steam off, however his anger wouldn't stop boiling in his blood. His own friends couldn't understand him, they would always look through their point of views and use their own experiences to relate to his; they had nothing to relate to his life. The love he had for Temari, they didn't have that. So how could they understand? They couldn't. They shouldn't. Ever. He slowed to a stop and eventually sighed in the cold air, a puff of air escaping his lips as he watched it evaporate into the air. He glumly sat down on a bench beside a tree and sighed, hiding his face in his freezing hands for a while as other people walked past him, their lives a thousand times better than his. If only he knew this would happen … the choices he would've made … he should've known that it would lead to this. He wasn't built for romantic anguish; he knew all along it would break him. But he let it happen anyway; why? He groaned, a headache crawling in his head as he sighed, "I'm sick of it all … sick of saying why … sick of headaches … sick of this cold …"

"Perhaps you'd like a hot cup of coffee?"

He jolted and looked around, seeing a hand arch delicately over his head holding a steaming cup of coffee. He frowned and turned his head up and over the bench to stare at the girl who charmingly smiled down at him.

Her.

"Hello again!"  
"You again …"  
"Surprise isn't it? I never would've thought I'd run into you again."

Shikamaru watched her walk around the edge of the bench and sit down next to him, she was dressed in a warm purple coat and a red scarf was thrown over her throat, she held out the coffee to him and urged him, "Go on, drink. It'll warm you right down to your toes; plus, it'll keep your fingers warm too."

He reluctantly took the cup and thanked her, sighing in instant relief as the warmth seeped into his fingers and down his throat, coffee, what he would do without it …

"You don't seem to be in a good mood today either. Did something happen…?"

She eyed his curiously as she sipped her own coffee, her cheeks blushing from the cold as he shrugged.

"Uh, sort of … I fought with my friends today … that's usually unlike me though … I feel bad now."

She stopped sipping her coffee and frowned. She eyed Shikamaru before asking cautiously, "Is it perhaps still about that girl of yours…?"  
He sighed, seeing no point in lying or denying it.  
"Well yeah … yeah … it was."

She pursed her lips and reached out grabbed one of his hands, her warm hand enveloping his cold fingers as she squeezed tightly, giving him her brightest smile she had to offer.

"Look … I don't know why you had to go as far as to fight with your own friends over this girl of yours, but I really hope you find some peace in your life. Honestly, a person like you who's given up his life entirely for this one person deserves so much more than this."

She smiled in her eyes and ran her thumb over the back of his hand and squeezed one last time before releasing his hand. It felt oddly empty after she let go.

She stood and sighed; she drained her cup and threw it away in the nearby trashcan. She shoved her hands in her coat's pockets and spoke to him, "Anyway, you should go back inside. You'll only catch a cold being out here in the cold. Also …"  
She thoughtfully looked at the dull gray cloud above and breathed in the cold air, "… you should apologize to your friends if you feel guilty about blowing them off. A good friend would be able to choke down his pride and humbly apologize; you have to respect your friends and their opinions and views. If you can't do that, you can't possibly be good friends."

She smiled at him and cocked her head again in her cutesy perfect manner.

"Am I not right?"  
He stared at her, mesmerized in her teal eyes before sneezing. He shivered, suddenly realizing how cold he was again and muttered as he rubbed his arms bitterly. She blinked before she unraveled the scarf from her throat and wrapped it around his neck, shocking him as he started to pull it off, "Oh no, no don't do that-"  
"You know you're cold. At least wear this while you sit here thinking things over to yourself; I seriously doubt you're going back inside even after everything I told you. Please …"  
She firmly wrapped the scarf around him and smiled at him with her hands on his shoulders.

"…stay warm and think things over, seems like you have a lot of clean up to do in your life."

She tucked her blond hair behind her ear and smiled, waving at him before turning to leave again. He stared after her with her red scarf wrapped around his neck and over his ears. He fingered the wool scarf and cursed again.

"Crap ... I forgot to ask her name – again!"

He sighed again.

"And how the hell am I supposed to return this to her …?"

* * *

"I can't understand that boy! Making his own life complicated by over thinking things; he may have an IQ over 200, but he'll never match the simple minded logic of life – even a dumb dog would know more about love than him!"

Naruto bitterly kicked a trashcan, scaring a couple that sad beside it on a bench as he crossed the inner lobby with Sasuke as he grumpily headed to class with him.

Sasuke looked up from the book he was reading and eyed Naruto with raised eyebrows, "Oh, so you say? So apparently you're the expert on Shikamaru's love life?"

Naruto sighed, shaking his head as he waved in the air dismissively, "No, no, you don't get it. I just, I only wanted him to realize how much he's hurting himself … remembering her and clinging to her like an animal, he's killing himself."

Naruto shook his head, thinking how shameful his life must be. Sasuke closed his book, for once, interested to converse to Naruto about something.

"Listen … Naruto, how can you ever understand … the level of pain Shikamaru is in?"  
Naruto looked at Sasuke incredulously who tapped the book to his lips with a look of disdain in his eyes as he added, "Shikamaru really loved Temari. Do you remember how they were in middle school? The most love struck couple I've ever seen in my life; they were practically a married couple. He loved her and she loved him; perfect match and never once, had they been disappointed in one another's company. But then …"  
Sasuke shook his head, remembering all too clearly that day.

"… She had to go back to her original hometown."

Sasuke looked up at the ceiling groaning, "Ugh, they were the worst then. Talking and spending time together like it was their last moments before they died; it was like watching a tragic drama."

Sasuke pointed his book at Naruto and narrowed his eyes at him before spitting, "Then it went to the trash from there. Shikamaru grew paranoid; unwilling to look upon another girl, he refused to even see or meet his friends like Ino and Sakura. He even refused to even speak to another girl. Those girls who fell in love with him? When he was done with them, they were broken hearted young girls in destroyed love. Shikamaru hurt so many others, but in the end, he hurt himself the most."

Sasuke shook his head, "And you say you know better than him? If you were Shikamaru, in innocent love with Temari, I doubt you would've done anything different; that's how love works with people. Cruel, shameful, and lost for people like Shikamaru. It's a shame really …"  
Naruto crossed his arms and looked at Sasuke with raised eyebrows.

"Your point here is …?"  
Sasuke stopped at the door to his classroom and turned to give Naruto one last input before turning to leave inside his classroom, "My point is, don't yell and put down Shikamaru like you understand his situation and know better than him. Instead, calm down, and relate to him in the least offending way possible; try to truly understand him and instead of rebuking him for his past actions, just tell him what he can do now to rectify all of his mistakes. That's what a good friend would do."

Naruto watched him turn and leave and shook his head in distraught, "Eesh, even Sasuke seems to know better than me … who knew he had any insight in people's relationships?"

* * *

The beginning of a new week; a terrible week he didn't want to remember. A week of giggling girls and whispering boys; flowers, sweets, and gifts now piled the shelves in stores with banners screaming with pink, white, and red hearts – Valentine's Day was this Friday. And couples and possibly to-be couples were fired up in the spirit of love as they planned big plans with their lovers. But for Shikamaru, he was making big plans to camp out in his dorm room, hide under his blankets and maybe just read a book to himself before falling asleep …

…but the hardest part would be trying to avoid the girls. Even into college, girls had followed him to this school in attempts to receive his affections, now they would stare at him in class and sigh dreamily whenever he passed them or stood up in English class to recite an excerpt. They grew love sick for him; but all he felt was a gaping hole in his heart as he numbly went through his classes surrounded by the hungry looks the girls shot at him – he was sick. Sick for Temari. Sick for her beautiful smile, the laughter in her eyes, and her thin soft lips … terribly sick. He sat down in his classroom and pulled out his bag to take out his books and notebooks. He dug through his messy bag to find his pencil when he felt wool brush against his fingers. He froze. Then he slowly pulled it back out of the bottom of his bag; the scarf. He frowned ever so slightly, "Ah … right … I forgot to give it back to her."

He ran a hand through the red wool and put it to one side. He then resumed looking for his pencil when a hand shot out and grabbed the scarf.

"Holy sh*t man! Is this yours?!"

Shikamaru turned back and blinked in surprise at Kiba who stared back at him in equal surprise holding the scarf in his hands with a gaping jaw. He groaned and reached for the scarf, "Oh give it back Kiba-"  
He yanked it away from him, staring at him in shock as he demanded, "Hold on dude, answer me; is this yours?"  
"No, I borrowed it from someone who lent it to me-"  
"If I'm correct this is-"  
He lifted the scarf to his nose and took a deep whiff. Then his eyes flashed in confirmation of his suspicions and he declared in a loud voice pointing accusingly at Shikamaru, "-a GIRL'S scarf! You've been with a girl!"  
"Kiba … not so loud, please! I swear, it has nothing to do with-"  
"Shikamaru … this is great!"

_Eh?_

Kiba grinned happily and laughed, patting Shikamaru on the back before exclaiming, "You can finally move on! Whoever this girl is, she must like you for being considerate enough to give you her scarf. If you hook up with this girl, you can forget about Temari!"

Shikamaru started to deny Kiba's claim and was soon jostled around the room as Kiba looped the red scarf around his neck pulling him around the room laughing and skipping as he shouted, "Shikamaru is back guys! He's in love again! Love has returned to the little bastard!"

Naruto and the others entered the room around that time and gawked in surprise as Shikamaru tried not to get strangled by Kiba who was choking him with the red scarf, not believing their ears as Kiba released him and ran to them shouting, "Can you believe it guys?! Shikamaru was with a girl!"

Sasuke raised his eyebrows and the others gasped.

"Eh~!? For real?!"

"Hell yeah! Look, look!"

He ran back to Shikamaru and held up the red scarf hanging from his neck.

"Living, breathing, f*cking proof! What is this, my friends?"  
Choji scratched his chin and muttered, "Looks like a girl's scarf …"  
"Exactamundo my big friend! This, my fellow friends, is a LADY'S scarf. Shikamaru testifies that she was lending it to him; meaning he was WITH her and you know what this means?!"

Shikamaru snatched the scarf away from Kiba and hissed, "I don't know what you're trying to make everyone believe here Kiba, but I'm not in love with anyone new-"

"Oh my God, Shikamaru! Is that really true?!"

Shikamaru turned in confusion as someone came barreling into him.

"What the-"  
"What the hell man?! You didn't tell me?! Come on, spill it!"  
It was Ino, a childhood friend and he had for quite some time ignored her until he toned down his paranoid behavior and was able to treat her like he used to. Though nowadays, he kept little contact with her because of this …

"I don't have anything to tell because it's all false-"  
"Don't you lie to me Nara; you're finally moving on and you're denying it as a false understatement?!"

She grabbed him by the front of his jacket and rattled him back and forth roaring, "DON'T F*CK AROUND WITH ME!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, cool it Ino!"

Choji hurried over and plucked the fuming tigress off Shikamaru and she thrashed in his arms as she hissed, "Why can't you just move on?! She's hurt you bad enough; why can't you just give up on her?! I bet you right now she doesn't give a flying f*ck about you-"

"Shut up Ino."  
"Now Shikamaru-"  
"SHUT UP. ALL OF YOU."  
Shikamaru twisted the scarf in his hands and growled darkly, "If one more person mentions something about moving on, I WILL hurt you."

Naruto came up to Shikamaru and squeezed his shoulder, "Dude, there's nothing shameful about seeing this new girl. You may or may not like her, but if you do like her, there's no reason why you shouldn't take the opportunity to try someone new-"  
He smacked Naruto's hand away and finally snapped. The dam broke loose.

"F*ck, can you just stop?! Naruto, listen to me when I say this," Shikamaru pressed a hand to his chest and exclaimed with emphasis, "I LOVE Temari. I would never in a million light years choose anyone else but her. I love her so much, it hurts everyday just not being with her. I love her so much; I could f*cking die!"

He turned to glare at the others and threw his hands up.

"All of you! Every single one of you all think I need to break up with her! You all think she's just some b*tchy girl who mindlessly fell in love with me and forced me to live a life waiting for her when she may or may not come back – it's MY choice whether I choose to do so, so don't you all go around preaching to me about my decisions!"

He pointed at Sasuke and shouted, "He understands! My God, I barely even know Sasuke as much as you guys know him, but he perfectly understands! Why can't you guys be like him?! For once, take Sasuke as an example and accept the fact that this is how I want to live, alright?! If it means I live unhappily, well f*ck, I'll live like this as long as it means I'll never fall in love with another girl-"  
Naruto brought his hand back and savagely slapped Shikamaru. Everyone flinched at the sharp ringing echo of the flesh against flesh – Shikamaru turned his head slowly at Naruto and scoffed. A red welt stinging his cheek as he took a deep breath and stood up against Naruto with a glare in his eyes.

Naruto glared back at him before sighing, "Sorry, I just had to slap you. You were really f*cking with my patience there Nara."

"I could say the same to you Uzumaki. You always get on to me like you're my mother; henning me about my decisions and you most of all-"  
He got in Naruto's face and snarled, "-seem to always think you're right."

Naruto held Shikamaru's gaze and replied, "Shikamaru, I really don't know what you're going through, but-"  
"No, don't you 'but' with me! If you don't understand … then there's no way you can be in the position to make a point. If you can't understand, don't bother trying anymore."  
He turned and stalked back to his desk with his shocked friends staring at him as he coldly spat, "I have no need of friends who encourage me to throw away the girl I love for another; it's sick and stupid. It's why only you guys want; not what I want."

Then on that note, he bitterly stuffed the red scarf in his bag and brought out his textbook. Throwing it open he glared at the pages as if he could burn them simply glaring at it as he set to work reading it. His friends slowly dissipated away from him, finding seats far away from him as they sat together shaking their heads and murmuring in low voices.

"Oh my God, Shikamaru has changed so much …"  
"He's grown so aggressive…"  
"More like obsessive with a girl who'll never come back…"  
"Who'd do that to him? To break him over the years and never come back… that's cruel."

"Shikamaru, what happened to you?"

Sasuke turned around in his seat and faced the murmuring group and muttered with a sharp sting in his voice as sharp as a whip, "If you don't mind me saying, but we're about to have a class here, and I don't need you people gossiping behind a friend's back like a bunch of pissed off girls. Now if you would please, shut up and settle down? Thank you."

He turned back in his seat after having put the boys in their places, making them grumble and shift to their own seats and glowering behind their own desks. Naruto sat beside Sasuke and growled to him from the corner of his mouth in a low whisper, "Why are you taking his side?"  
"Because it's logical; it's his life, he wants to screw it up, let him. He'll learn on his own."  
Naruto narrowed his eyes at Sasuke.

"Didn't you just tell me to at least try something to help him? I'm trying to be a good friend and save him before he drowns himself in his own misery!"

"Can you shut up about that by now? You're obviously twisting my words; I said to help him relate his situation to a conclusion by RESPECTFULLY and KINDLY doing so. What did you do? You slapped him."

Sasuke snorted before turning the page in his book.

"I hardly call that an attempt of compromise."

"What would you have done Sasuke?! He was insulting us! Other than you, he called us all judgmental jerks! What would you do Sasuke? Huh?"

Sasuke glared at Naruto and growled, "I would shut up."

* * *

His condition worsened over the week. By Monday, he was a sour jerk to everyone he encountered; snapping at his peers and talking back to his professors – he got himself in trouble – more than twice. He shamelessly was sent out of class thrice and scolded and humiliated before the class probably a dozen times. The professors were pissed with the attitude their star pupil was throwing at their faces and his peers whispered behind his back and rumors began to spread.

"Yeah, you know Nara? I heard his girlfriend left him and never came back, but he still believes she's coming back and now he's got this sad idea that somehow she'll still come back to him."  
"Hey, I had a friend who had the exact same problem; you know what happened to her?"  
"What?"  
"She was married to another man and completely threw her original boyfriend in the dumps – guess what happened to him now."  
"What?"  
"He committed suicide."

Shikamaru wanted to plug his ears, to scream and shout, but he knew that most of their whispers were true. He wasn't going to kill himself, that was for sure, but if there was ever a case that Temari found someone else … it wouldn't surprise him if she did. Now he felt more than certain that he'd never see her again. But still, a small sliver of hope remained in him, and that hope came alongside with a sour stubbornness in refusal to believe anything else. He chose to turn his anger into fresh, cold stubbornness.

He was on his way back to his dorm when he saw her. Walking outside in her purple coat, her blond hair flowing behind her as she walked away. He stopped and remembered the scarf. He cursed and ran outside after her, at the same time pulling out her scarf as he shouted out to her, "Hey! Hey you! Purple coat!"

She blinked in surprise and turned to look at him, her surprised expression quickly changing into amusement. When he reached her she laughed as he rested his hands on his knees wheezing for air.

"Purple coat?"

"Well sorry, I don't know your name and all … anyway, here."  
He held up the scarf to her and she took it in her hand, her fingers brushing against his that sent his stomach flipping. She smiled and wrapped it around her neck.

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome…"

"It's nice to know you kept it in good condition. This is my favorite scarf."  
She smiled at Shikamaru and asked, "By the way, I never asked for your name…"  
"Oh, uh, Shikamaru. Shikamaru Nara …"  
"What a nice name."

"And uh …. Yours?"  
She blinked and laughed nervously, playing with her hair in her finger she uncomfortably shifted in her spot.  
"Oh uh, ha-ha, sorry, I'm not used to giving boys my name … um…"  
She dipped her head in apology and laughed with a blush on her face.

"Sorry, I'm such a blundering fool. My name is-"

"Huh?"  
"Sorry, sorry. My name is Ma… ri. Mari."

She scratched the back of her head before shamefully shaking her head, "I'm sorry, it's been so long since I gave me name to someone … new."

He couldn't help but suddenly break into a smile. She was kind of cute; in a bumbling sort of way…

"Mari? That's uh … a cute name…"

"Is it? Ha-ha, you're the first person to say that."  
"Really? But Mari is a cute name."  
"Everyone else thinks it's too plain. Common. Simple."  
She shrugged, "But uh, I live with it…"  
She then took a glimpse at her watch and sighed, "Aie, I'm late. "  
She smiled gratefully at Shikamaru and dipped her head in an apology.

"Sorry, but I gotta go. It was nice seeing you again Shikamaru. If I see you again, we should go out for some coffee or something. I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other more often now."

He shrugged; shoving his hands in his pockets he gave her a small smile.  
"Eesh, more coffee?"  
She gave him a quirky smile.

"What? You want something else?"  
"Perhaps I never told you; I don't drink coffee a lot."

Mari laughed with a smile on her lips, her laugh vaguely familiar…

"Well then Shikamaru, how about this; how about you and I eat dinner together tomorrow night? I'll be paying; I'll take you wherever you want to go."  
He eyed her and snorted, "Why would you want to do that? We barely just met."  
Mari smiled, "Well naturally I want to get to know you better, like you said, we just met. Also-"

She held up one end of her scarf, her smile brighter than ever.

"I've got to say thank you somehow, right?"

Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head he muttered, "Eesh… so troublesome…"  
"Hey now; say something! Yes or no? You in or out?"  
Mari leaned closer, her face turned to him with a vague smirk on her lips as she teased, "Or what, you think other people will see and get the wrong idea?"  
"…probably."

"What?! I'm not interested in you okay Shikamaru?"  
Mari poked his shoulder in a smug way, "I'd never lie down so low to snatch you from your long distance relationship with your girlfriend over yonder."

Shikamaru stared at Mari, feeling a jump in his heart at the sight of her smile and thought to himself, '_God it's not that I'm afraid of… I'm afraid I might fall in love with you because you're so much like her… and I'm tired of waiting… waiting for Temari when I can possibly, just maybe, have you instead…'_

Shikamaru wanted to smack himself – what the hell was he thinking about just now!? Shikamaru shook his head, sighing he shrugged, "Alright, alright, whatever. I'll come."

Mari beamed; she jumped up and down, clapping her hands together in joy.

"Yes! Alright then, tomorrow at eight – do you know the park that's a little aways from this college?"  
"Yup…"  
"Great! Meet me there; I'll be in the fields to the far, far~ right!"

"Wait… why would we go all the way there, when we can just meet here-?"

"See you then Nara!"

He meant to stop her, but she turned and dashed away, a skip in her step, her red scarf rippling behind her in her fast stride. God above, she was beautiful. Just as beautiful as Temari. Why…

Shikamaru felt his heart ache again, his hand went unconsciously to his chest, clutching his shirt and holding his heart back as if it bled in his hands.

'_Why does she bother me so much? Am I overlooking something…?'_

* * *

"I'll be going now Choji."  
Shikamaru slipped into his jacket, his friend giving him the raised eyebrows.  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa – hold it! Where are you going at a time like this?! It's almost time for dinner!"

"I know."  
"You know? Then why are you- oh wait…"  
Choji narrowed his eyes at Shikamaru and asked, "Is this about… a girl?"  
"What?! No…!"  
Choji kept glaring at Shikamaru and he sighed, "…yes."

Choji frowned.

"Shikamaru, why are you making plans with another girl? You're still dating Temari right?"  
"Yeah I know; trust me, this has nothing to do with my relationship with Temari. It's not going to change anything."  
Shikamaru shrugged.

"Mari just wanted to thank me for giving back her scarf in one piece-"  
"Hold up, Mari? Mari who?"  
Shikamaru frowned; he scratched his chin and shrugged again.

"Huh. I don't know; all I know is her first name…"

Choji frowned again, "There aren't a lot of people here with the name of Mari… and I've certainly never heard of a new transfer student lately…"

"It doesn't matter Choji; don't worry. It's just a dinner."  
Choji crossed his arms, his eyes still on Shikamaru as he pointed out, "Uh-huh, sure, yeah, totally man, JUST a dinner."  
Choji cut off Shikamaru who was starting to retort as he added in quickly, "Shikamaru, you're not thinking straight here. Look; you've promised Temari you'd wait for her until she came back, okay, great. This proves how loyal you can be to her. Now I've never seen you WILLINGLY go with another girl; much less TALK to one. Because of your anti-social shoulder to the girls, I suggested you gave up on Temari considering she's made you wait for her long enough. It's unhealthy and it was breaking you to pieces."

Choji held up a finger to make a point, "And now you're telling me you're going out with this Mari girl to dinner tonight JUST because she wants to thank you for taking care of a freaking scarf – can you read boy?!"

"Read what?!"

"Mari obviously likes you; who the hell would go full out on a full course meal to thank someone for taking care of a freaking scarf?!"  
"Hey, that scarf of hers, she said it was special!"

"Yeah, whatever; maybe I'm reading too far into this, but dude, if you're sure that you want to stick with Temari, I'd watch your back."  
He pointed at Shikamaru with his finger and with narrowed glare he added, "I have a feeling this girl Mari has caught a few of your sick heartstrings man. You're willing to talk to her, acknowledge her, and even dine with her – that's a huge step since you've literally practically disowned Ino and the other girls from your social life. If you're still Temari's boyfriend; hell, don't get involved too far with this Mari girl. You'll regret it soon enough, trust me."

Shikamaru sighed, pushed Choji's finger away from his face and shook his head, "Geez Choji, don't freak out! I got this… it's just a dinner."  
Choji sighed, shook his head in return and let Shikamaru walk past him.

"Oh Shikamaru… since when has a girl and boy ever had a dinner together without it having some kind of purpose behind it? Whenever has that not happened in life…?"

* * *

Shikamaru entered the park and was immediately swarmed by the roaring noise of the squealing children with kites, Frisbees, barking dogs, crying babies in strollers, and lounging parents everywhere. Shikamaru walked past them all and headed to the fields to the far right – just like Mari instructed him. He was surprised by almost how empty it was. Only a few couples or groups of friends came here and were either under trees or walking amongst the knee high grass talking and chattering to one another. Shikamaru tried to look for Mari, not able to find her and sighed when he couldn't see her. He wished then that he asked for her phone number when the grass quivered to his far left. Mari sat up in the grass, tufts of green strands falling out of her hair as she ran a hand down her blond hair. She was sighing, looking up at the skies with her feet out in front of her and hands clasped. Her eyes dreamily searched the skies that was streaked with smeared clouds, her teal colored eyes lost in the expansive blue above.

'_Crap… beautiful. She's beautiful.'_

Mari turned and brightened at the sight of Shikamaru, she finally got to her feet, walking towards him exclaiming, "Ah! Shikamaru! You actually came!"

"Uh yeah… I promised didn't I?"  
Mari smiled sweetly, "Of course you did."

Shikamaru felt his stomach flip, and a guilty nail in the back of his head – a small voice screaming, '_F*CK! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING NARA?! YOU LOVE TEMARI! TEMARI~! NOT THIS MARI CHICK; GET IT IN YOUR HEAD THAT SHE'S __**NOT**__ FOR YOU-'_

"…Shikamaru? Hello~!? Are you in there?"  
Mari poked him on the forehead, a smirk on her face.

"Hey, don't zone out on me."  
"Ah, sorry, what were you saying?"  
She sighed with a smile on her face as he rubbed his forehead.

"I asked; where do you want to go for dinner? Or more in particular, what are you in the mood for? Pasta? Buffet? Fast food? Or maybe something Vietnamese or Mexican. Chinese food? Ah! Sushi is always good too!"

Mari urged him again with a sense of urgency in her voice, "Come on! Choose already! I'm hungry!"

"Eesh, I don't care. I'm not a picky eater…"

She gave him a cock of her head with confused puppy eyes.

"Eh? Why don't you care about what you eat?"  
"It's troublesome to be standing there thinking about WHAT you want to eat; as long as it's food, I'll be fine."  
She smiled with a hand on her chin as she mockingly teased, "Alright then… are you alright with boiled eggs?"

He stared at her and found himself wondering; _how the hell does she know that I hate boiled eggs…?_

"Okay now, not that. Please; I hate them."

She laughed, poking him on the shoulder as she flipped her hair to one side, "Ha! See!? You DO care about what you eat! Anyway, since you won't choose, I guess I'll have to choose for you."

She took his hand, smiling as she enthusiastically started walking him back out of the park.

"Alright now! Let's just have a good dinner and a great night! Then you can go back to whatever you do and my thank you dinner from me to you will be complete!"

Shikamaru turned his attention to their hands; fingers laced, her smooth fingers curled over his as he unconsciously clung back. Her hand, her eyes, her voice, her laugh; why was she so familiar? She caught him staring at her and she simply smiled, asking in her beautiful voice a question, "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there grass in my hair?"

He blinked, found himself smiling as he simply replied, "No… just surprised at how beautiful-"  
She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Pardon?"  
'_Sh*t!'_

"Sorry, how nice you look today…"  
She gave him her classical quirky grin as she had a slight hint of puzzlement in her eyes.

"Okay then, thank you I suppose…"

'_That… was f*cking close…'_

Shikamaru wanted to smack his head against a brick wall – what the hell was going on in his mind?! He must be driven insane; because now he was thinking Mari was beautiful and amazing, but he BARELY knew her – how the hell was his hormones getting the best of him?! But as he dawned on the fact that this girl was holding his hand, that she was always there oddly to talk about his issues in life – he momentarily forgot about his accusations against himself. For now… he was content with the hand in his and the voice that was speaking to him constantly. He was okay… for now.

* * *

At dinner, Mari decided to go with pasta. The restaurant was cozy and smelled of freshly made garlic bread; they were served by some Italian waiter and they sat awkwardly across one another surrounded by couples. Mari laughed nervously, whispering beneath her breath to Shikamaru through clenched teeth, "Oh geez, how come everyone here is getting so lovey dovey with one another?!"

Shikamaru glanced around and caught sight of a couple making out to the far corner, he turned his gaze away from the tangle of hands and lips as he sighed, "Well it is close to Valentine's Day and lots of couples are probably spending this week with one another…"

Mari nodded, her hand on her cup filled with water.

"Ah~, that's right. So,"  
She scooted her chair closer to the table and smiled at him as she propped her head on her hands, curiously asking, "Any chances of your girlfriend coming this Friday to spend that special day with you?"  
Shikamaru shoved his hands in his pockets, slouching in his chair he shrugged, "Who knows, maybe she will. But if you see it in my perspective; in the past six to seven years she's left, she hasn't came even once to visit me. I doubt she'd start now."

Mari sadly frowned, her voice soft and sad as she replied, "Aww… that's sad."

"No kidding."  
"Anyway, enough of this gloomy atmosphere – you should smile some more! Be happy and optimistic!"

She smiled as she pointed her fork at him.

"It's nice to be keeping your girlfriend in memory and all, but if you think about her too often – it's going to eat you away. Seeing you reply as if she'd never come back; you need to be more hopeful and optimistic."  
Shikamaru dully stared back at her, "Mari… I was hopeful for years on end; for YEARS I was hopeful AND optimistic. Always telling myself that she'd come back… but then after a few years… I started doubting."  
He shook his head, pain in his eyes as he added, "After doubt wormed into my heart, it got worse. If you asked me how I am now; I'd truthfully admit, I don't think she's coming back."  
Mari stared at Shikamaru in stunned silence; she hung her head and murmured to herself, "I'm sorry…"

Shikamaru lifted his head, frowning as he asked, "Huh? Did you say something?"  
Mari resumed with her bright smile, smothering away the unseen pain on her face as she laughed lightly, "No, no, sorry. Just talking to myself…"  
"Okay…"

Thankfully the food came out after that, and they sat there eating in silence amidst the chatter of the restaurant. God, Shikamaru had never been so uncomfortable in his life.

Finally, he stopped eating and took the time to look up; he then asked Mari a question, "Say… do you have a boyfriend?"  
Mari stopped in mid bite. She swallowed and wiped her mouth with her napkin.

"Huh? Boyfriend you say?"  
"Yeah, boyfriend."  
Mari smiled with a hint of sadness behind them as she shrugged, "I did…"  
He raised his eyebrows.

"'Did?'"

"Yeah, things happened and I had to leave him. I haven't heard from him yet because I never bothered to reach out to him… I think he's moved on by now."  
Shikamaru eyed Mari as she glumly picked at her food with her fork.

"I was a terrible girlfriend… I was ill considerate to think that I could get my boyfriend waiting for that long for me… there wasn't a single day that I haven't sat down and cried – wishing I had done something else instead of making that guy suffer."  
She sighed and shrugged.

"So as of now, I guess things are okay. I still haven't reached out to him yet, but when I do, I'm sure I can clear things up."  
She smiled sadly at him, "There's no way he can still love me after all the pain and suffering I put him through. That's why I was able to understand your situation easily Shikamaru; you and your girlfriend. Let me just tell you this though…"  
She reached out and took his hand, "…yes, your girlfriend made you wait for a really long time. Asking for the impossible and every day, she takes away a piece of your heart one shard at a time. She hurt you terribly and you must dislike her for that… just a little bit… right?"

Shikamaru shrugged, unwilling to answer that as her hands tightened around his hand.

"But please, don't forget; if you're in pain, she's in pain too. If you die inside thinking about her, she's dying in her heart as well. You may be in pain and think that she's kicked you to the side forgotten and disregarded, but if you two really were close… understand that she's not in that position. She's probably out there thinking about you right now and wishing she was here to hold your hand."  
Her fingers brushed the back of his hand, a sparkle in her smile as she included, "If you two really loved one another, she'd be heart sick right now for you. So I have faith that she'll come back to you Shikamaru; now you just have to believe that too." Shikamaru felt his mouth run dry. Gosh darn it, Mari was always so insightful. But still… even if she did tell him to continue waiting and believing Temari would come back, he was waiting for six to seven years for the moment she'd be ready to step back in his arms. But she never came. Never sent word, never visited. She even changed her contacts and now he had absolutely no connections to her; she disconnected herself from him. Every day he reminded himself of those facts; it seemed to slowly erase the hope he had in her. Eventually he found himself feeling hollow and empty; empty with the fact that Temari wasn't ever coming back. He was sure of that now. He considered Choji's advice, to move on and forget about Temari – the girl who hurt him so much – but could he? He asked himself that again as he watched Mari eat the rest of her dinner; teal eyes, her blond hair in messy curls over her shoulders, the curve of her lips as she opened her mouth to slip her fork in; maybe… maybe he could… maybe.

* * *

Mari walked with Shikamaru back to his college. He stood there with her, smiling at her as he thanked her, "Thanks for the dinner. It was nice…"

Mari smiled back.

"Could've been better if I chose somewhere else where there weren't couples kissing in corners."

"Good point."

Shikamaru watched Mari rub her arms from the cold before stepping closer to him.

"Shikamaru…"  
She sighed while shaking her head.

"… I really hope you can see that your girlfriend, that she loves you a lot. If I were her, I'd ask you to keep your faith in me."  
Her eyes searched his as he found himself immediately replying on his own whim, "But… that's the point. You AREN'T her…"

Mari nodded, knowing all too well that it was the truth, "I know, I'm not; maybe me saying that makes no difference to you and all, but I'm just saying; don't assume she won't come back. You don't know the future. And you most certainly can't use the past to predict the future, assuming that what's happened in the past will continue in the future. You've got to learn to let go of the past and hope for the future. Only then can you keep faith in your girlfriend, and I'm certain that she'll come back to you-"  
Shikamaru stepped closer, lifting a cautious hand to her face to brush away the blond strands that he was itching to touch. She stiffened in silence as his fingers lingered on her hair, sliding down the length of the hair strands to the tips. The familiar ache in his heart was now unavoidable; he lifted the ends of her hair and kissed them, the look of realization streaked across Mari's face as she realized what he was implying.

"Shikamaru-"  
"Mari, let me say something about my girlfriend…"  
He let her hair slip from his hands, she inched backwards and he only inched forward.

"My girlfriend was wonderful. She was beautiful, fun, annoying and incredibly rude. But that was who she is; I loved her for that. I really did…"  
She finally stopped moving, looking up at Shikamaru with a hint of hurt behind her eyes, why she was hurt, he had no idea…

"But when she left me, I tried my best to keep my faith in her. Like you're telling me now, to keep hope in the future and forget the past. But when you can't see the one you love, knowing that every day, you'll never see her until she comes back – it's a thorn in my heart. My mind starts drifting back to the past, aching and wishing for it to all come back. You have no idea how much I wanted that…"

He slid a hand in hers, entwining their fingers as she kept her hand limp in his grip, the unrecognizable look in Shikamaru's eyes setting her on edge.

"Mari… I'm tired. I've tried so hard, waited so long, and yet, I'm tired. I've come to the end of my rope Mari, I can't hold on any longer… I really can't."

He leaned closer, his lips to her ear as he breathed, "Mari… you remind me of her. Your eyes, your voice, your smile; you're a bit on the polite side though. You're just as beautiful and I actually like being with you…"  
Mari gave him a sideways look as she inched to the side, "What are you …"

He brought one hand to her cheek, his fingers slipping behind her jaw as he tilted her head back.

"Mari…"  
She stared at him in surprise as he leaned in and caught her lips in his, the desperate ache in his heart ceasing; a momentary moment of clarity that this was what he wanted. Oh God, to be kissing someone again… hands entwined, how much he missed it… how much he wanted it again…

Mari broke away, dancing sideways with her face turned away from him. Her eyes brimmed with hidden tears and a blush across her face. He gave her a concerned look as he reached for her, "Mari? I'm sorry, was I too sudden? Did I disappoint you? Freak you out? Scared you perhaps-"  
Mari shied away from his hand and murmured through her fingers, "I uh, I-"  
She squeezed her eyes shut and whispered, "…I'm sorry. I really am… I really, really am…"  
He was confused. He tried again and she then ran away. He stood there dumbfounded at her quick escape, he sighed as he scratched his head while he shamefully looked up to the bleak empty black night sky. He felt like the moon was laughing at him.

"Even the world is against me…"  
Again, he felt the silence swallow him whole; alone once again.

* * *

Days passed and he hadn't seen Mari again. But that was okay, he couldn't blame her; creepy guy rambling about his girlfriend before jumping you – seems fair enough for her to freak out so easily. Today was Valentine's Day, and he was making sure that he'd stay in his room for the entire day. Choji was kind enough to stay in his dorm with him, which was a plus. So far, they had avoided the girls and mooning couples gushing over one another beyond their locked bedroom door; only a few more hours before the day would be over. Only a few more hours.

Shikamaru came out of the shower washed up as he left the bathroom with loose fitting clothes thrown on; he grabbed can of soda off the table and sat across from Choji while he took a sip. He curiously looked at Choji who was sitting there gawking at Shikamaru's phone that he held – an unattended chip in his other hand uneaten.

"Hey Choji, what are you doing-? "  
"No way…"  
"What? What are you looking at on my phone?"

Choji's pale face slowly turned to Shikamaru as he handed Shikamaru back his own phone before breathing, "Oh my God man; read your text. It just came right after you finished your shower"  
Shikamaru eyed Choji with raised eyebrows before tapping on his messages. He frowned at the name of the texter; UNKNOWN.

"Nah, I'm not going to look at it-"  
"NO! Read it Shikamaru!"

He eyed Choji again before sighing. Then he clicked it open and after reading the first sentence, he dropped his phone like it was one fire.

"F*cking h*ll…"

He grabbed his phone again and tried to keep the rising emotions from overflowing; the panic, the hopeless joy, the shock.

* * *

_From: UNKNOWN_

_Date Received: February 14__th__, Friday; 10:03pm_

_Hi Shikamaru. It's me; the unbelievable is back. That's right; I'm back Shikamaru – Temari. Now I don't wanna get to the silly mushy gushy details about how much I missed you and sh*t, so let me cut to the crap. If you wanna meet me, call this number and I'll tell you where to go from there. Love you, hope you call soon._

* * *

Nearly spilling his drink he called the number with clumsy fingers, pulling the phone to his ear he stared at Choji in utter shock as he shared his look of surprise. Temari. Temari texted him. He lost contact with her years back; but now … somehow … she …

His heart nearly stopped when he heard his call answered.

"…_Hello?"_

He clasped a hand over his mouth and choked on thin air, shameless tears starting to spill down his cheek as he closed his eyes; he just wanted to sit there and listen to her voice. The voice of his girlfriend.

"_Hello?"_

The amount of shame he held right now; he had went after Mari and forsook his love in Temari simply because he couldn't stand waiting for her any longer … she shouldn't have tempted him.

"_Shikamaru, I know you're there. Answer me damn it-"  
_"God … I thought … I thought you'd …"

"_Oh, so you are there. Good. Glad to hear your voice dumb ass."  
_He looked through teary eyes at Choji who was for whatever reason, crying as well.

"You never called me, texted me – not even a single letter. I… I was beginning to…"

"_Hey now, choke down those tears boy, I can practically hear those tears falling down your face. I'm here now aren't I? I called you; I'm ready to meet you again Shikamaru."_

"Temari … oh my God … Temari…"

"_Hey now, it's awkward waiting here talking to you on the phone. Plus it's kind of cold here; so can you hurry on over?"_

He wiped the tears and stumbled to his feet, shoving his feet in some shoes he ran out of the dorm in a flash. Choji called out to him but then simply sat back and shook his head, sighing as he sat there wiping his own tears.

"Oh God … Shikamaru, you're one extraordinary guy … waiting for that long and getting to meet her again … you deserve it. Oh you deserve it so much…"

His heart was in his throat, his lungs screaming for air, his sides cramping. But he didn't care. Oh he didn't give a flying f*ck about it all. Sure enough, it was cold; he yet again forgot to bring a jacket. But that was the least of his worries. He kept the phone to his ear as he weaved past other people running as fast as he could.

"Tell me Temari; where are you?!"

"_Keep calm Nara; don't start freaking out on me. Anyway, from where you left, was it the front of your college?"_

"Yeah."

"_Then take a left and cross the intersection there two blocks down…"_

He followed her instructions, and nearly got ran over by cars as he dashed through them in a blur, not caring if he did get hit anyway. Maybe this was all a dream and he'd wake up the moment he reached her; who knows.

"_Now from there, take another left."  
_He stopped before he took another step and twisted on his heel down the streets gasping for air.

"_Keep walking until you reach Blue Stone Avenue."_

His eyes lifted to the signs reading them in a blur until he found the one he was looking for and grabbed the sign to stop himself from going any further.

"And then? And then?!"  
"_Calm, calm! Now … you should see a park by now…"_

He looked around and saw the park; the same park that Mari told him about when she took him out for dinner.

'_Sh*t! Does she know …?'  
_"_Take your time getting your ass over here; you should know where I'm talking about."_

Then she hung up.

* * *

Every step was torture. How would he explain? 'Oh sorry Temari, I was tired of waiting for you to come back so I decided to give up on you and kiss some other girl in hopes of reviving my romantic life' – was he supposed to just admit the truth? Somehow she knew about Mari; if she had led him here, to the park, to know of all things that he had backstabbed her by choosing another girl over her… she was probably standing there prepared to dump him on the spot. His breath grew jagged and short, feeling as if he'd just pass out right then and there as he started hiking up the hill to the field – it seemed as if it took centuries. He continued walking and stood at the top. He took a deep breath and looked up, expecting to see her there … and nothing. He looked around, nothing but grass to see for miles around.

_Was I … tricked?_

He sighed, he looked up to the sky and sighed, staring into the stars above in a silent cry of frustration; this was his last straw. Whoever played this sh*tty game with him pretending to be his girlfriend and f*cking with him-

A hand grabbed his ankle and he cursed.

"Sh*t-!"  
"Hahaha! Gotcha, gotcha!"

He stumbled backwards a few steps in shock as she rose from the grass below, completely hidden since she was lying there – probably looking at the stars. Mari.

"What the – Mari, what are you doing here-"  
"Mari? My God Shikamaru, you've gotten dumber than I thought."  
She grinned at him from where she sat looking up at him with Mari's smile and Mari's eyes.

"You can't even recognize your own girlfriend?!"

He froze and stood there in utter shock – so wait. Mari… Mari WAS Temari?!

Temari held up a finger to make a point, "Ah hold on, this might jog your memory…"  
She then started to tie up her hair into four ponytails, when she finished she looked back up at him with her teasing smirk on her face.

"There, now do I look familiar?"

Temari. Oh God, Temari.

She crossed her arms and laughed, "Ha! That look on your face; priceless- mmph!"

Shikamaru collapsed to his knees as he grabbed her in a hug, hugging her like it was his first and last; as if the very world would collapse beneath them and take her away again. He clung to her, gasping in surprise to find her so very, very real. To think she was there all the time, acting as if a complete stranger, but she was there… and he was blind enough to believe her being 'Mari' was just a coincidence. He stroked his hand through her hair, the other arm thrown around her back pulling her towards him. He pressed his lips to her ear, murmuring to her with silent tears on his cheeks.

"Temari… Temari… when… how, why-?"  
Temari placed her hands on his chest and pushed him to one side, giving him a quirky grin.

"Okay, okay, hold up now okay? Just let me tell you my story for a moment alright?"  
He sat back on his heels, his hands moved to clasp hers, as if to make sure she wasn't a dream – to keep her here with him.

"So I came back from Suna after leaving Konoha for six to seven years. Naturally I wanted to look for you first."

Shikamaru stared at Temari as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a gesture he had known that 'Mari' would do. But now he knew; Temari was Mari.

"I contacted Choji because I no longer had your phone number. My last phone was replaced over the years and something happened with my contacts and erased half of them during the transfer- yours ended up in the unlucky pile and was erased. I couldn't contact you, I didn't know your address to mail a letter to, and I just lost my connection to you."  
She smiled sheepishly, "I felt bad about it; even if it wasn't my fault my phone jacked up on me, I still felt bad that you'd endure the next few years without any communication from me. It was terrible; so I wanted to make sure I'd come back as soon as I could. But every year I tried to come over – even for a little while – something would happen and I'd be forced to stay longer at Suna."  
She squeezed his hands back, a sad smile on her face as she added, "Shikamaru, there wasn't a day that went by that I haven't thought about you. I worried that you'd think I disconnected from you and moved on with another person or whatever; I swear to you, I haven't and I never thought about it once. But it must've been hard for you. And I can confirm that after I went to find Choji the moment I came here. Choji told me about your condition, he told me that you were a wreck; lost and drowning in my love that I neglected for all those years. He told me how he suggested to you to find another girl; to give up on me."

"And… you acted as Mari to see if I'd…"

She smiled.

"Ah, well, I acted as Mari for two main reasons; reason number one – I wanted to see if you'd fall for another girl other than me. If you found another girl like me; would you take the opportunity? Especially after all those years of putting you in constant pain and misery, choosing Mari over me was the correct choice logically. It was my mistake for asking so much from you and I could have never expected you to wait that long. But you did however, for a really longtime."  
She shrugged.

"Sure you picked Mari in the end, but after I cut the charade, I saw enough to know that Shikamaru, what I made you promise was hurtful and spirit breaking – never again will I make you promise something as terrible as that."  
She smiled at him with her hands in his, fingers tangled.

"Because I love you Shikamaru; I don't want you to easily break down into a wreck like you were since I left. I don't want to see you like that. It hurt me to see you like that when I was acting as Mari; it made me realize just how much you went through… to have gone this far – waiting for six to seven years just for me? You're stupider than I thought; any normal guy would've ended it after a few months, if that guy was committed, maybe even one or two years. But you? Six to seven years…"  
She leaned closer, her forehead against his as their noses brushed. She sighed, "You're so stupid… why didn't you just stop trying? If you realized it was hurting you... why couldn't you stop?"

Shikamaru pulled her closer, briefly kissing her as he answered back, "Temari… that's a stupid question. You already know the answer."  
Her hands snacked up his arms and locked behind his neck; she leaned her head towards his and asked, "I do?"  
He grabbed her face and kissed her, feeling the rush of relief and joy – indescribable contentment as she gave him what he needed so desperately. He had no idea how long he stayed that way, his fingers in her hair, his lips against hers in silent need. When he did pull back, he gasped for air, the two sitting there in silence in the evening air to catch their breaths.

"The answer to that question …"  
Temari looked up at him, still panting, as he answered to her, "I didn't stop trying because I loved you; I love you so much, moving on was like I was claiming you were dead to me. But that was never so, I didn't want to let go of you, not until you came back."

He pulled her closer again, "Never again, I don't ever want to let you go now. Not even for a brief moment for people like 'Mari'. I don't want to take that risk, to give my heart to someone else when I love you truly and only."

Temari leaned into him, sighing as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"But what if I never came back? You'd still be waiting, ruining your own life on my account; if that ever happens again, just move on-"

"Don't say that."  
"Why?! It's important to tell you – you never know if I might go back to Suna again and put you through more heart break-"  
"That's the point. It won't happen again."  
She blinked at him.

"Pardon?"  
"Whenever you're here, I'll be right here. If you go for Suna – or anywhere in particular- I'll follow you there so we don't ever, EVER get separated again."

"But Konoha-"  
"Konoha is my home, my city. I know that Temari, but I love you more than I care about where I am in the world. Now if I can stay here and have you stay with me; that'd be great. But I only care about where you'd be; I can't live without you being there for me Temari. After waiting that long? Don't you dare think I'm ever going to let you out of my sight again."

Temari smiled, a smirk playing on her lips as she snorted, "Geez… you sound so cheesy right now."

Shikamaru poked her on the forehead.

"Hey, I'm confessing here right now; I don't want you to leave me again."  
She encircled her arms around him, her chin resting on his chest as she looked up at him with a smile.

"Don't worry; I don't plan to. And if I do go somewhere, you can come with me. But I'm going to be here for a long while…"

She smiled at him as he kissed her forehead, loving how she seemed to fit in his arms. His world was whole again, he had never felt so alive in the past years he's waited for her… she was back. He kept his promise to hers and she came back on that…

"Temari, I kept my side of the promise. I waited for you. Now I ask you to do yours."  
Temari blinked at him.

"Didn't I just do that though? I came back."  
"That was a promise I made. You didn't promise anything, all you had to do was come back. You had me promise; now it's your turn to promise me something."  
"Alright… fair enough. What do you need?"

He smiled as he held her hands to his chest, feeling oddly whole again, his life vibrant and colorful now that Temari had returned.

"I want you to promise me, that you'll never leave me again like that. That you'll stay with me and repay that lost time… those six to seven years I waited separated from you? I want you to pay all of that back now."

She smiled, punched his shoulder as she scolded, "Shikamaru! What makes you think you had to make me promise to never leave you again? That's a given you lazy bum! But for the second part…"  
She kissed his cheek, leaving his skin tingling as she grinned, "I swear, I'll promise you that one for life."

He smiled, kissing her overjoyed.

"Temari, thank you…"  
She smiled, hands entwined she replied, "You're welcome, and – oh! Happy Valentine's Day."

He smiled, not really caring that it was Valentine's Day, but by far, this one he liked the most.

"Yeah… Happy Valentine's Day to you too."

Then he lost himself as she leaned in to kiss him again, countless times they kissed that night. The start of a new promise; the chance to rebuild what was lost.

* * *

_HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!_

* * *

**Yeah sorry, the end might've been poorly written because I was half sleeping. I'm sorry if that end was a bit awkward. The story was a bit loose and poorly structured but I hope the overall tone of the story was sweet. Anyway, Happy Valentine's Day to you all! :D (Thank you to all who support my stories! ;) I appreciate you all!)**


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